Surgical suture material is available as a thread which is cut to length and prepackaged. In most cases, a surgical needle is firmly attached to one or both ends of this thread. Suture material of this type is sometimes sold as a separately packaged single thread. In this case, the thread is usually coiled in a space-saving manner within the package.
The thread of a surgical suture material which consists of synthetic monofilament material is especially likely to be relatively hard and elastic, so that even after being subjected to elongation, it returns in an uncontrolled manner to an indefinite approximation of its previous shape. This can make it more difficult to manipulate the above-mentioned suture material, especially in situations where space is limited.
Suture material of this type is also used in intracorporal endoscopic operations, in which the functional end of the required surgical instruments and the surgical suture material are inserted into the body of the patient via individual trocar cannulae. In order to provide the tissue with a surgical suture even in operations of this type, and in order to use instruments to apply an intracorporal surgical knot in this situation, the tissue which is to be sutured is pierced with the needle, and the attached thread is grasped with a thread holder or needle holder. The thread can then be placed around a second thread holder or needle holder, which executes a circular motion and guides the thread with its shank in such a way that the thread is wound in a spiral around the jaw parts of the thread holder or needle holder. The opposite end of the thread is then grasped with these jaw parts and drawn through the spiral winding, If each end of the thread is now pulled with a thread holder or needle holder, the so-called base knot is formed. In order to hold this base knot in its position or secure the tension once it has been created, a so-called finishing knot is tied tightly over the base knot in the same manner.
When the abdomen is open and the threads of the surgical suture material are sufficiently long, it is relatively simple to produce a surgical knot in the manner described above. However, this technique is very difficult to perform when the abdomen is closed and the instruments are inserted via trocar cannulae, because the threads frequently slip off the thread holder or needle holder and return to their original position. The reason for this is the above-mention hardness and elasticity of the thread and/or the vertical position of the instruments which often occurs in intraabdominal endoscopic operations. The instruments which are inserted into the abdomen via trocar cannulae can only be repositioned to a limited degree to counteract the slipping motion of the thread, especially since endoscopic operations allow only very limited space for moving the instrument to follow the thread.
In the case of extraordinarily stiff monofilament thread material, as is frequently used in endoscopic operations, it can be especially difficult even to wind the thread of the suture material around the jaw parts of the instrument for the purpose of tying the knot. Even if this is accomplished, the thread must often be pulled tight with the instruments, in order to prevent it from slipping off the thread holder or needle holder. However, this tensile load on the thread can cause a tearing of the tissue which is to be sutured.
Therefore, an especially important object is to create a surgical suture material whose thread can be quickly and securely formed into a surgical knot in the smallest possible space. The suture material provided by the invention should especially facilitate the formation of a secure knot and allow this to be performed with the least possible effort.